Netflix is adding a new animation series to its lineup with the Obamas.
The former president and first lady’s production company, Higher Ground Productions, is teaming up with Doc McStuffins creator Chris Nee to create a new series following a young Black scientist named Ada Twist.
Deadline reported that the streaming giant has ordered 40, 12-minute episodes. The series follows a popular book series written by Andrea Beaty with illustrator David Roberts to encourage more young Black girls to become interested in STEM.
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Higher Ground to bring Ada Twist to the screen,” Nee said to Deadline. “As a fan of the books, I was taken with the diverse characters, striking designs, and vital message that science matters. Plus, Ada fulfills my personal need to populate children’s television with strong girls who aren’t afraid to be the smartest kids in the room. Once Kerri Grant came on board to showrun, I knew we had the dream team to bring this special series to life.”
The series will make its debut in 2021 with screenwriter Kerri Grant from projects like Mira, Royal Detective and Nella the Princess Knight, who will serve as showrunner for the new animation. “As a young, curious Black girl who grew up loving TV, I simply became accustomed to rarely seeing images that reflected me onscreen — and the ones that did, represented an anti-intellectual stereotype that led me to hide my own light under a bushel,” said Grant to Deadline.
“To be a part of bringing a show to kids that features a young, Black girl being unapologetically the smartest kid in the room, in a world as diverse and visually stunning as the one created by the book series’ author and illustrator, fills my heart to capacity. Working with Chris Nee, my old boss, and certified preschool TV hit-maker; and Higher Ground and their commitment to representation, dreaming big, and excellence, has been the alignment of so many stars, it’s truly a celestial event.”